www.cgtoday.com - Shortfilm - Sintel - Open Movie

For over a year an international team of 3D animators and artists worked in the studio of the Amsterdam Blender Institute on the computer-animated short 'Sintel'. This independent production was financed by the online user community of the free program Blender, supported by the Netherlands Film Fund, CineGrid Amsterdam, and with sponsorship from international companies.

The film project's primary target was intended as an incentive for the development of the Blender 3D open source software, a program producer Ton Roosendaal originally developed for use in his animation studio in the 90ies. The film itself, and any material made in the studio, will be released as Creative Commons shortly after the premiere. This concept, a true Open Movie, allows filmmakers and animators to study and reproduce every detail of the creation process. Companies and research institutions can use it as a reference standard for demonstration purposes, or for research on new technologies. In these areas, the concept behind Open Source
and Open Content is increasingly accepted as an efficient investment in "shared self-interest".

After the short film "Elephants Dream" (2006) and "Big Buck Bunny" (2008), this is the third animated short created in the Amsterdam studio with support from around the world via the Internet. For "Sintel" the ambitions were set extra-high, with more than double the budget (nearly 400k Euro), a team twice as large (up to 14 people full-time) and a work period of more than one year, so the expectations are high.

"The result has become truly spectacular," said Ton Roosendaal, "the script, the visuals and soundtrack all came perfectly together, and mainly due to the contribution of the director a story is being told with a deep emotional impact you won't forget easily." The script was inspired by a number of story suggestions by Martin Lodewijk around a Cinderella character (Cinder in Dutch is "Sintel"). Screenwriter Esther Wouda then worked with director Colin Levy to create a script with multiple layers, with strong characterization and dramatic impact as central goals.

In the film we meet a lonely girl - spoken by Halina Reijn - who is saved on a barren snowfield by a shaman - with the voice of Thom Hoffman. In the hut of the shaman she tells her life story; how she found a wounded baby dragon in a dilapidated city, and how a deep bond grows between them. When the little dragon is kidnapped violently by an adult dragon, she takes a long quest. After her visit to the shaman she then undergoes a dramatic confrontation with the adult dragon.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• sintel
• open movie
• short film
• animation
• vfx
• visual effects
• Amsterdam Blender Institute
• Blender
• 3D open source software
• Ton Roosendaal
• Creative Commons
• Elephants Dream
• Big Buck Bunny

[red84ro]

I really wish it had a different ending ... I always end up crying at the end :(